Hunting of cervids is commonly regulated by quotas that are specific to sex and age groups. There is substantial cultural variation in how quotas are regulated. In Scandinavia, the entire quotas are often not shot making deer management potentially less predictable. However, the effect of quota size and demographic composition on harvest offtake by recreational hunters has, to a limited extent, been empirically investigated in Scandinavia. Hunters are limited by time and opportunity and may not respond to changes in quota, as anticipated by managers. We analysed the variation in the proportion of quotas filled depending on quota size relative to population size and demographic composition of quotas during the period of 1986–2019 involving a population size varying from approximately 5000 to 15,000 reindeer on Hardangervidda, Norway. We found that the proportion of quota being filled by hunters varied substantially (12–48%) on an annual basis. The quota occasionally exceeded the estimated population size, but the proportion of the quota filled increased the higher the population size was relative to the quota size. The proportion of quota being filled by hunters was markedly lower for calf licences. High annual variation in the proportion of quota being filled by hunters causes considerable implementation uncertainty when managers aim to regulate cervid populations. Nevertheless, there was a strong correlation between quota size and harvest size. Facing new management requirements, a harvest rate of ~ 47% of the adult male population size was achieved in 2019, compared to an average of 16%. Hence, managers compensated for the low proportion of quota being filled by increasing quotas to reach target harvesting aims, but there remains a limit as to how precisely such a wide-ranging reindeer population can be regulated using recreational hunters.

鹿科动物的狩猎通常由特定于性别和年龄组的配额管理。配额的管理方式存在很大的文化差异。在斯堪的纳维亚，整个配额通常不会被射杀，这使得鹿的管理可能不太可预测。然而，在斯堪的纳维亚半岛对配额大小和人口构成对休闲猎人收获量的影响进行了有限程度的实证研究。猎人受时间和机会的限制，可能不会像管理人员预期的那样对配额的变化做出反应。我们分析了 1986 年至 2019 年期间，根据配额规模相对于人口规模和配额人口构成的配额比例的变化，涉及挪威哈当厄维达的驯鹿数量从大约 5000 到 15,000 头不等。我们发现猎人填补的配额比例每年都有很大差异（12-48%）。配额偶尔会超过估计的人口规模，但人口规模相对于配额规模越大，配额所占的比例就会增加。对于小牛执照，猎人填补的配额比例明显较低。当管理人员旨在规范鹿种群时，猎人填补的配额比例的高年度变化会导致相当大的实施不确定性。然而，配额大小和收获大小之间存在很强的相关性。面对新的管理要求，2019 年实现了成年男性种群规模的约 47% 的收获率，而平均为 16%。因此，